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    Work crew begins removal of Ryman Auditorium stage

    By CHRIS TALBOTT | Associated Press – Sat, Feb 4, 2012

    NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Workers have begun stripping away history at Ryman Auditorium.

    A crew began gently removing the Nashville landmark's 61-year-old oak floorboards with pry bars Saturday morning. That's the first step in a two-week renovation that will leave the storied "Mother Church" of country music with a new Brazilian teak stage.

    "We're going to take it off with kid gloves," said Mike Bohler, senior project manager with Beech Construction Services. "We'll remove it as easy as we can and save as much as we can and try not to damage it."

    The old floorboards will be taken to a new location and stored. Gaylord Entertainment officials have not yet announced what will be done with them.

    The stage at the National Historic Landmark needs replacing because of age. It's just the second stage in the Ryman's 120-year history and it won't stand up to another refinishing. The boards have become permanently scuffed and marked, and the ones pulled up for reporters on Saturday were just a half-inch thick.

    An 18-inch strip of the blonde oak will be left at the front of the stage to commemorate the auditorium's rich history. The teak, already stacked in a corner, is slightly darker.

    Dierks Bentley talked fondly of the stage during the final standalone concert Thursday, placing a piece of duct tape over a few loose boards.

    "There, it's fixed," he joked.

    Keith Urban, Charley Pride and Steve Wariner were among the final performers to walk the floorboards Friday night during a Grand Ole Opry performance.

    The Oak Ridge Boys got some of the evening's loudest applause when they laid down "Elvira" one last time before the renovation.

    "That's one more 'oom poppa oom poppa mow mow' for this stage," Joe Bonsall said of the song's memorable chorus. "It's history."

    ___

    Online:

    http://www.ryman.com

     

    23 comments

    • Stop using precious money
      Stop using precious money  •  Wallingford, Connecticut  •  3 mths ago
      Since the old stage floor lasted for 61 years, why didn't they replace the old stage with more oak?
    • Peng Chau
      Peng Chau  •  3 mths ago
      I enjoyed a night at the Opry back in 1972. Got free tickets for both shows.
    • Echo
      Echo  •  3 mths ago
      Brazilian? No oak left in America i guess.lol
      • HowardS
        HowardS 3 mths ago
        no there is no oak ..
    • Repeal_The_Va_Radar_Detec ...
      Repeal_The_Va_Radar_Detec ...  •  Williamsburg, Virginia  •  3 mths ago
      I guess since this is not a Kardashian story, we don't get pictures!!!
      • RustyS
        RustyS 3 mths ago
        I see pictures. I guess you just read the headline real fast and had to come post on the comment section.
    • daniel
      daniel  •  Warren, Oregon  •  3 mths ago
      Who gives a #$%$
      • Tony
        Tony 3 mths ago
        I'm really thankful that you don't.
    • BUBBA
      BUBBA  •  Pretoria, South Africa  •  3 mths ago
      No Tennessee grown American Hickory? Or White Oak? WTFO? Teak is nice and all but it's a bit of a slap in the face to teh heritage of that stage.
      • bmxer4life
        bmxer4life 3 mths ago
        hickory and oak do not have a long life as flooring
    • Bill
      Bill  •  3 mths ago
      it is a shame they could not buy America, this is one of the reasons everything we buy now is made outside the USA. The stage should have been with American wood by American Craftsman. I am disappointed that some of the performers didn't jump on this
    • Earl
      Earl  •  New Berlin, Wisconsin  •  3 mths ago
      Brazilian teak? What, we don't even make wood in this country anymore? How about putting some Americans to work for a change! I'm sure Tennesee has trees. It might even have brought some pride to some local sawmill workers to know that they were makeing boards for their "church".
    • Jay Dees
      Jay Dees  •  Irvine, California  •  3 mths ago
      An 18 year old blonde will be left at the front of the stage to commemorate the auditorium's history. She will be stacked and standing in a corner and be slightly darker.
      (sorry, just couldn't resist).
    • BGS
      BGS  •  3 mths ago
      I agree they should have used wood from Tennessee or other southern states instead of something from a country that's known for Samba and Bossa Nova music.
    • jimyahwa
      jimyahwa  •  Amarillo, Texas  •  3 mths ago
      I was at the Ryman in 1952. I was stationed at Ft. Campbell, Kentucky, I met Hank Williams senior at a saloon down the street from the auditorium.
    • Pembroke
      Pembroke  •  3 mths ago
      Should make lots of nice toothpicks--oh wait, country music fans don't HAVE teeth
    • ComnSens
      ComnSens  •  Morton Grove, Illinois  •  3 mths ago
      Given the general political affiliation of the C&W crowd, I am sure they are lining up to boycott this theater for not buying American.
    • Fidel-ity
      Fidel-ity  •  3 mths ago
      They haven't announced what they will do with the old wood. I will help everyone out with this one. "For only two easy payments of $39.95 each, you can own a piece of history!" For a limited time only, the first 2 million callers will receive a piece of wood in the shape of a guitar, clad in .05 micrograms of laminate from the floor of the Ryman Auditorium! Only 5 orders per household.
    • SeekingTall.Com
      SeekingTall.Com  •  3 mths ago
      why ?
      why is it so
    • lambert4evr
      lambert4evr  •  Los Angeles, California  •  3 mths ago
      i'm sure the tree huggers got thei pantys in a knot over this one!!!!!!!!
    • Brad
      Brad  •  Birmingham, Michigan  •  3 mths ago
      Way to Go....new Brazilian teak....destroys the Rain Forest...couldn't you have refinished and laminated the old wood onto plywood?
    • Fidel-ity
      Fidel-ity  •  3 mths ago
      Reply to Jimyahwa: "You're Lying!" Hank Williams told me before he died that he had NEVER met you in a Saloon or anyplace else!
    • nicholas
      nicholas  •  3 mths ago
      Unreal
      The mother church of country music decided to use wood from a foreign country for their new stage despite the fact that Tennessee is home to dozens and dozens of native hardwood tree species
      Where's the outrage from the fans of country music ?
      Where's the outrage from those who make country music ?
      How come one of our presidential candidates has not made this an election issue?
    • Echo
      Echo  •  3 mths ago
      Country music lovers sure are manly,gettin all teary eyed over a floor.
     Post a comment
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